Almost Live From The Gem NYC To San Francisco

[mking8288]

On a 2 week cruise, NCL offer the $20 (USD) a bag wet laundry specials (stuff the paper bag full, roll them tight & squeeze, ask for a pillow case as a liner) - starting about day 3 or 4 ... that's easy/next day/evening services - folded or on hangers.  Bob or Turtles can confirm this, pretty sure they are going to offer it 3 x for a 20 days crossing.  Platinum/+ get them done free.

 

For quick dry items, Woodlite/equivalent & the small sink to wash & rinse is good, and use the retractable cord in the shower.

 

Coal fire BBQ - I saw that too ... they got a 5 lb fire extinguisher nearby, just in case.  But, no pork chops ... like the old days.  

 

 

[Panama]

10 hours ago, bob brown said:

There no longer is a self service laundry on any NCL Ship.   The older ones that used to have it, have long since removed them.

 

 

Thanks for the confirmation.

[bob brown]

I believe that is correct—one laundry special each week.

And yes, there are fire extinguishers nearby the grills.

Sorry my photo wasn’t clear enough to read the officer’s titles...the hotel dept. ones are listed a couple of pages back...

[plevi23]

We will be on the SF to NYC cruise. Can anyone tell me if there will be excursions offered on the transit day through the canal.

[bob brown]

5 hours ago, plevi23 said:

We will be on the SF to NYC cruise. Can anyone tell me if there will be excursions offered on the transit day through the canal.

There are none...no one can disembark that day.

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, plevi23 said:

We will be on the SF to NYC cruise. Can anyone tell me if there will be excursions offered on the transit day through the canal.

The ship does not stop in the Canal during a full transit. 

[Turtles06]

22 hours ago, mking8288 said:

On a 2 week cruise, NCL offer the $20 (USD) a bag wet laundry specials (stuff the paper bag full, roll them tight & squeeze, ask for a pillow case as a liner) - starting about day 3 or 4 ... that's easy/next day/evening services - folded or on hangers.  Bob or Turtles can confirm this, pretty sure they are going to offer it 3 x for a 20 days crossing.  Platinum/+ get them done free.

The first $19.95 fill the bag special was offered last Wednesday (we embarked last Saturday), with clothes to be returned by Friday night.  (To our huge surprise, the Platinum bags we submitted on Tuesday came back the same day.  I’m sure it was because it was so early in the cruise.) 

[bob brown]

Alongside Cartagena, Colombia, with Pullmantur’s “Monarch” (formerly RCI)...

[mking8288]

Bob / Turtles - I was just about to ask, how is that Columbia industrial port / cruise terminal & what's nearby ... and got the visuals now, great job in reporting.  Thanks.  Beautiful & sunny day - all abroad/sailing at 2 pm, that's coming up & tomorow - transit thru Canal.  

 

How's that roaming/cellular signal from nearby local towers ... good, solid 4G/LTE, in case we decide to book this or similar NCL itinerary next year.  

[Turtles06]

12 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

 

Bob / Turtles - I was just about to ask, how is that Columbia industrial port / cruise terminal & what's nearby ... and got the visuals now, great job in reporting.  Thanks.  Beautiful & sunny day - all abroad/sailing at 2 pm, that's coming up & tomorow - transit thru Canal.  

 

 

It is an industrial port as you can see from Bob’s photos, but they have done a great job making it cruise friendly as well. Not only is there a shop at the end of the terminal, but there’s a charming aviary filled with tropical birds.  It’s great to spend some time there before returning to the ship. 

 

This is our second time here.  Last time we took a private tour with the fabulous Dora that covered La Popa and the classic walled city sites. Today we took a taxi on our own to the huge fortress, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, and spent several hours exploring it. It’s a huge hike up in the hot sun, but it was well worth it. We had a great time. 

 

 

[bob brown]

I’m sorry Henry, but my phone will stay in “airplane mode”, until San Pedro...

So I won’t be able to report on cell service.

 

It’s a real treat, having free access to CC on the ship wifi  now, even as slow as it is...

😎

[mking8288]

No problem at all, Bob ... just enjoy & happy to get periodic reports.  I figured, doesn't hurt to ask, looking ahead. 

 

Great to know that free access to CC on ship's WiFi is ongoing using the iCafe's terminals (1 out of 3 was down last month ...) - don't recall being able to access it free on the laptop or smartphone/tablet in the stateroom.  

 

Real air temperature in NYC today is 65 degree F,  supposed to peak at 68 later.  Mid 50's tonight, rain early on Sunday & then sunny, 65 midday - cooling off to above seasonal next week ... middle of January / winter.  

[Turtles06]

For folks on subsequent sailings looking for something other than a ship’s tour in Santa Marta with 50 of your new best friends, we had a wonderful morning there yesterday on a private walking tour that we booked through GuruWalk.com. The tour was called “Walking through the past,” and our guide was a delightful young woman named Yubelis.  This is one of those walking tours where you pay the guide at the end what you think the tour was worth. Yube (that’s how she’s known) takes a maximum of 14 people, and we filled the tour from our Roll Call.   
 

It was a good way to see the highlights of the small city of Santa Marta, the oldest city in Colombia. So much history there, from the indigenous peoples, to the Spanish conquistadors, to Simon Bolivar.  (Sorry to not have the accent marks on my keypad.)

 

We really enjoyed Santa Marta and I would recommend Yube’s tour. 

Edited January 11, 2020 by Turtles06

[mking8288]

I am guessing that Turtles isn't on Airplane cruise mode yet, seeing that ship is now steaming toward the full crossing ahead.

[Turtles06]

18 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

I am guessing that Turtles isn't on Airplane cruise mode yet, seeing that ship is now steaming toward the full crossing ahead.

 

I’m not, we have an unlimited internet package. 😀   I was coming back to report that our cabin attendant just came by because they’ve been ordered to secure all the balcony furniture.  We are having a beautiful, calm sail away from Cartagena.  There must be something worrisome in the marine forecast. 😮   I guess we’ll find out soon ...

[mking8288]

Check that Windy App, here's my screenshot for you all. See that red/purpose area, heading east to west, it's the wind gust ... waves & swells increasing, not bad at 3 meters this evening. Stay safe & hold on to the railings. 

 

Edited January 11, 2020 by mking8288

[dcipjr]

On 1/10/2020 at 2:27 PM, mking8288 said:

On a 2 week cruise, NCL offer the $20 (USD) a bag wet laundry specials (stuff the paper bag full, roll them tight & squeeze, ask for a pillow case as a liner) - starting about day 3 or 4 ... that's easy/next day/evening services - folded or on hangers.  Bob or Turtles can confirm this, pretty sure they are going to offer it 3 x for a 20 days crossing.  Platinum/+ get them done free

 

@mking8288, do you know if Platinum folks get 1 free bag of laundry per week (round numbers)? 

 

Bob mentioned that they were getting 3 bags per person, and that makes sense since the cruise is 3 weeks.

 

We’ve got a 16-day cruise coming up and I”m trying to figure out how many complimentary bags of laundry we’ll get—the missus and I are both Plat.

[mking8288]

@dcipjr - Typically, each P member (or higher) get 1 free bag of laundry on a given (7 nights) cruise, and with 2 of you - that's 2 bags done free.  For our 15 days/14 nights last January, it was 2 free bags per member, or 4 free bags with both of you. That's plentiful enough for us, mix-n-match & re-wear ... space them out, do it about 3 to 4 days apart (5 days & only needed 2 bags) and we came home with a 22" rollerboard full of clean clothes, suitable for the next cruise/vacation/trip - ready to go. 

 

BTW, the complimentary & free Behind The Scene tour for P members is a must do, just to see the laundry operations below deck ... 270 lbs. per load capacity.  Enjoy your upcoming 16 days, DW been bugging me to find a good cruise deal - getting restless after being home for only a month. 

Edited January 11, 2020 by mking8288

[dcipjr]

16 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

@dcipjr - Typically, each P member (or higher) get 1 free bag of laundry on a given (7 nights) cruise, and with 2 of you - that's 2 bags done free.  For our 15 days/14 nights last January, it was 2 free bags per member, or 4 free bags with both of you. That's plentiful enough for us, mix-n-match & re-wear ... space them out, do it about 3 to 4 days apart (5 days & only needed 2 bags) and we came home with a 22" rollerboard full of clean clothes, suitable for the next cruise/vacation/trip - ready to go. 

 

BTW, the complimentary & free Behind The Scene tour for P members is a must do, just to see the laundry operations below deck ... 270 lbs. per load capacity.  Enjoy your upcoming 16 days, DW been bugging me to find a good cruise deal - getting restless after being home for only a month. 

Perfect! That’ll be plenty for us, even with a toddler in tow. I usually bring a bar of laundry soap and use that to wash my socks and underwear, since they’re easy to wash and dry quickly.

I plan to do the Behind the Scenes tour this time around. Last time we were on Escape, I missed it, but we had done the excursion version of the tour a few years prior when Escape first launched, so I don’t think we’d have seen anything we didn’t see before.
 

We’re on the Joy this time, and given that the ship is a bit unique because of its original intended Asian market, I’m thinking the tour might also be unique. 
 

We are very much looking forward to the cruise. 16-day Miami to LA through the Panama Canal, a bucket list item for sure! We’ve also got one of the fleet-unique Concierge Family Inside cabins, so we’re looking forward to that.

 

 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Check that Windy App, here's my screenshot for you all. See that red/purpose area, heading east to west, it's the wind gust ... waves & swells increasing, not bad at 3 meters this evening. Stay safe & hold on to the railings. 

 

Thanks for that.  We had extremely strong winds in Santa Marta yesterday.  Our guide said they come up frequently this time of year, and are called La Brisa Loca.  At sailaway, the winds were quite fierce, coming at us from starboard; we were docked on the port side and I think it was probably quite a challenge to back us out safely.  There was a huge tug standing by just in case. 

[Gershep]

On 1/10/2020 at 2:27 PM, mking8288 said:

On a 2 week cruise, NCL offer the $20 (USD) a bag wet laundry specials (stuff the paper bag full, roll them tight & squeeze, ask for a pillow case as a liner) - starting about day 3 or 4 ... that's easy/next day/evening services - folded or on hangers.  Bob or Turtles can confirm this, pretty sure they are going to offer it 3 x for a 20 days crossing.  Platinum/+ get them done free.

 

For quick dry items, Woodlite/equivalent & the small sink to wash & rinse is good, and use the retractable cord in the shower.

 

Coal fire BBQ - I saw that too ... they got a 5 lb fire extinguisher nearby, just in case.  But, no pork chops ... like the old days.  

 

 

This may be a dumb question but do you ask for a pillow case to line the bag because you can fit more in or is it so the bag don't rip?

[mking8288]

@Gershep - not a silly one, good question.  AFAIK, not everyone get those new cloth bags for doing ship laundry (maybe, Haven only) - you can double paper bag it to guard against breakage or ripping it apart when stuffing, or just ask steward ahead for a pillowcase (actually, it's a tip/trick they taught us/learn from ... years ago)  Or, many of those plastic hotel laundry bag will fit/do fine as inside/bottom liner - we always carry them ... didn't want to recommend it (someone will blast me for "incorrectness" LOL) 

 

I don't feel it's making a big difference in fitting more in - getting among $120 to $130 in laundry value done free with each bag is good, we've yet to use up our free quota.  More about preventing the contents from spilling out ... in case, they use the free-fall laundry drop at the front of the ship to send it straight down to below deck (they do that with the soiled towels, sheets & washable items collected by the stewards on the mega ships, not sure if they do that for the guest laundry)  

[Turtles06]

Greetings from the Panama Canal!

 

Just a quick update while I’m taking a break from the sun and heat, and while we have an Internet connection, which we’ve barely had since leaving Cartagena.

 

We arrived at the Atlantic entrance to the Canal quite early this morning and sailed under the new Atlantic Bridge before dawn. Last time through the Canal it was daylight for that approach. A very different experience. 

 

But it was light when we entered the Gatun Locks.  We were through all three chambers by 8:40am.  It’s so amazing to watch the Canal in operation. 

 

We are are now making our way very slowly across Gatun Lake.  Great fun watching the huge cargo ships go by. We are expecting to reach Gamboa around noon.

 

Did I say it was brutally hot out? 🤣

[mking8288]

There you are, gooood morning, it's 67 degree in NYC now, how hot is hot at the canal ?  Stay cool & hydrated. What happened to satellite signal, no coverage ? 

 

They open the front area of the ship deck that's usually for crew only, cool 😃.  Bob must be busy taking pictures for uploading later.

 

[checkitallout]

How is the food? You weren't happy with the specialty restaurants at the beginning of the cruise- have you gone to any since? and? How is the main dining room? Is there good variety? On sea days can you get a seat at the pool in the shade or is it very crowded.  Just trying to get an idea.  Many of our cruises were with our kids and grandkids and over holiday weeks so used to crowds.  How has this been? 

Enjoying reading the postings.  We are on the SF-NY cruise.  Getting excited and can't wait!